Hypertension

Cold, windy day today. I was a bit early for my specialist appointment so I noticed a Chinese bakery and cafe in the mall. A range of lovely buns and pastries were on display, sweet and savoury. Who needs to visit Asia? I ordered a Hong Kong style cup of tea (strong tea with evaporated milk) and sat for 10 minutes. It was quite busy for the morning and I browsed the menu. They were offering a full bacon and egg breakfast with toast and coffee for $2.99 among other things. Too bad I'd already had breakfast.

So the specialist increased my blood pressure medication to 160mg from 120mg of Diovan. She was worried about my bottom number (130/90). I get such different readings (lower). Also, my last blood test in August wasn't done properly as they did not have enough of a sample, so I have to redo it, including coming off the medication for a week and fasting the night before. So next time I guess I should call and check that things went ok, and maybe go to a different lab. Apparently this blood test also has to be stored on ice to keep it fresh. The good news is that they have it on record that I lost 8 pounds since my last visit a year ago. It's confirmed, not a dream!

I was browsing Canadian Health magazine in the doctor's office. It had a lot of interesting articles, seems to be right up my alley. I'm trying to stop subscribing to magazines as they contribute a lot of clutter. Well, I'll think about this one. I also noticed a hypertension website displayed on a poster in the office. Hypertension is another word for high blood pressure for those who don't know.

I dropped by the T&T Chinese supermarket afterward. This time I noticed a variety of frozen delicacies such as frogs legs, snail meat, and you name it, all displayed in a very clean manner. I just got some fresh salmon fillets although all the seafood looked fresh and lovely. There were lots of whole fish, and the sign said they clean them for free. The cashiers were wearing pretty cheongsams (silky looking traditional tops), maybe because Chinese New Year is approaching.

Then I decided to go to the gym since I'll probably take the weekend off. I caught Hillary Clinton on Tyra Banks' talk show. It was a great interview and Hillary came off very well, I thought. Maybe we need a woman to solve the world's big problems.

I picked up my new progressive lens eyeglasses today. They are amazing, so light and comfortable and reading the newspaper is a breeze again. I didn't realize I had chosen Versace designer frames, (a new me) with tiny rhinestones at the edge of the metallic dark pink frames.

We decided to put L's drum lessons on hold until at least the summer, she is a bit overloaded at the moment. Besides, everything 'tennis' is at the forefront these days, and one has to make choices in a full life.

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